Javier Baez: From watchmaker to marble businessman

An Ecuadorian immigrant, he advocates for the politics that Lenin Moreno will follow, in line with Rafael Correa supporting social issues in Ecuador, and all immigrants.

Sonia Gumiel

He says that he arrived in England from Ecuador eighteen years ago with his family. As he had to work to be able to live in England, not being able to speak English and needing to have financial income made him accept a position in the construction industry.

This work experience did not only move him away from what had been his trade throughout his life while he was living in his home land, but also gave him the opportunity to get to know marble, and he currently has his own business installing this material.

The decision to go to England came with the start of the economic crisis in Ecuador, between the years 1999 and 2000, which happened when the sucre, the national currency, was replaced by the US dollar.

The President of the Republic of Ecuador at the time was Jamil Mahuad, and due to bankruptcy experienced by a dozen Ecuadorian banks and institutions in the financial sector, the economic crisis worsened.

These events were what pushed Javier to leave his country of birth and now live in England, and thanks to this he is a businessman, he has learned a new trade, speaks a new language and has the opportunity to offer a better education and future to his children.

Javier Baez is sure of his decision, despite his experience being tough. This is because he had to face difficulties such as integrating into a society with a different language.

And because of this he can confirm that learning the language is what makes it more difficult to integrate into this society.

Another difficult moment, although it now makes him smile, was his experience with his first two bosses, as one of them was constantly pushing the workers, while the other one cushioned the blow. Javier remembers this situation like a police interrogation scene from a film, where to reach the goal there is always a good cop and a bad cop.

Javier is interested in everything that happens on a political, social and economic level in his country of origin. He knows these topics also impact Ecuadorian residents in other countries. For this reason, he did not miss the appointment last 19th February, in the TUC Congress Centre, to choose the President of the Republic, members of the assembly and Andean members of parliament.

And besides knowing that this was a success that was pronounced before the popular consultation that defined the characteristics of a public servant, Javier expresses that his candidate is Lenin Moreno, as he is in line with the current President, Rafael Correa, who supports social issues in Ecuador and all immigrants.

As he is an immigrant, he knows how important it is to have support.

Fortunately, in eighteen years he has managed to consolidate a business that, despite demanding a lot of time, gives him time for his family and to go to meetings at church with other Ecuadorian immigrants and residents in England.

Perhaps because of this, with his life built here, Javier does not think about returning to Ecuador and decided to stay in this country for the future of his children as, according to him, they will have more options to move around the world.

Javier has left behind his time with watches in Ecuador and he has changed it for his business installing marble in England and, according to him, it was worth it.